Review

Korea is centuries ahead of us in terms of pop music, and it’s no surprise. Like the arduous process of becoming a full-fledged Jedi, Koreans develop their skill sets at a very early age, and continue to work on them for the rest of their lives. Taken in by star making companies, the path to becoming a pop star is ridiculous. Their lyrics, their dance moves, their music, their clothing styles, even their very lives are controlled. You can never call in sick, quitting is not an option, even if your entire body is sore from 10 hours (or more) of dance practice every day, the show must go on. Now let’s stop for a second. The way I have described Korea’s pop industry makes it seem as if it is some kind of hell, but if you asked the pop artists what they thought about it, they’d probably defend their producers’ actions. It may seem crazy, but really, it’s just their culture, and they’re completely used to it. The basic point that you can take from all this information is that Koreans have pop down to a science, and therefore, they are very good at it.

Although The Boys often borrows from old styles of pop music, it still feels contemporary and relevant. They are making a name for themselves now, generally dumping their electronic side, allowing for musical growth. Unlike Girls’ Generation with its rude bass beats and forgettable synths, The Boys is surprisingly minimalistic. Pop is often at its best when simple, and this album proves it. What’s great about this direction is that the girls’ voices are highlighted, and they just happen to be giving their best vocal performances yet. As a result, the music is classier, catchier, and cuter. However, despite the group’s newfound minimalism, their edge is still intact, which is proven by sensual sensations like ‘The Boys’, ‘Trick’, ‘Oscar’, and ‘Top Secret’. A highlight, of course, being their single, ‘The Boys’, a foot-stomping tune which showcases the group’s intention, “b-bring the boys out!”

‘Say Yes’ begins with one of the girls exploding in happiness, “boy, I see you walking by every day *giggles*, so just stop in the name of love and just say yes”. As evident by only that line, Girls’ Generation is driven by the kind of innocence and cuteness that either makes you sick to the stomach, or leaves you craving for more. You’d expect to hear this music in kiddy shows, children’s musicals, and awful commercials, but never in a full album. However, let the naysayers whimper and vomit silently in the corner, because the music happens to be extremely fun. In fact, the album is so good that every song is worthy of becoming a single. Like their previous album, The Boys is completely stuffed with well-written and engaging material, which is what every movie sequel strives to be but often fails (ex. the Transformers film series). Unless this type of music just isn’t your thing, I see no reason to not enjoy this album.

The Boys is really the best song here? ughhh tacky western pop-leaning drivel. Didn't think the song could get any worse until they pulled from out of their asses the awkward chant "Girls Generation make you feel the heat!" It's no surprise since the dude who produced the song was the same guy that did the oh-so-westernised k-pop track Dr Feel Good by Rania.

Don't see how this will be 4.9. They have been going downhill ever since they decided to put out "more mature" songs.

No you didn't. You said it was 'the' highlight, meaning best track on the album.

So in your opinion, what was SNSD's best album. Just out of curiosity.

The mainstream k-pop groups have always maintained success on the back of power singles accompanied by music videos. Albums are never the main attraction here. Sure, there could be some decent tracks here and there, but these kind of groups have a handful of singles that they tour around the world performing on stages, and pump the rest of the album with filler tracks. Therefore, almost all the k-pop albums are usually of poor overall quality. As such, I enjoy my k-pop in a way that most of the world does: through mv's NOT albums.

To answer the question. My favourite snsd song is "Oh!". I believe it is somewhat catchy and enjoyable. Then again, it was never really the music that pulled me (and my friends) in, rather it was the choreography and aesthetic (read: perving) factors.

I've mentioned this somewhere before on this website, and i'll say it again: For good music in your k-pop, I think groups such as Secret (e.g. Madonna), 4minute (e.g. Hit ut heart), Brown Eyed Girls (e.g. Abracadabra), and Miss A (any of their stuff) are better bets.